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Sprouted Wheatberry SD

Sprouted Wheatberry SD

Here's an example of another loaf using the same basic recipe as the ones below. In this case, I used all white flour and added barely sprouted wheat berries which I ran through a mini food processor. Turns out it won't be a favorite of mine, but that's okay. I tried it. (My fav, so far, is white flour with 25g rye or whole wheat and 2-3 Tablespoons of dry steel-cut oats thrown into the mix.)

It doesn't take much to make a decent loaf of bread. I own a KA mixer but never use it for my bread, I just threw away my baking stone, and I let the bread do its own steaming by covering it with a bowl or roaster lid for the first 18-20 minutes of baking.

My usual implements are a scale, a cheap round plastic tub with lid, an old bamboo chopstick, a bench knife, a plastic colander with a linen cloth laid inside (sprinkled with flour and a bit of rice flour), parchment (used for more than one loaf), a heavy 14" pizza pan, a large ovenproof bowl, and my oven. Many of these items came from thrift stores. I feel fortunate to have a Miele oven, as it really holds the heat.

The first and most important item is your starter. If it's not fresh and active, then you've begun with a huge handicap. The rest is practice, practice, practice. Try not to get frustrated when a certain recipe doesn't work for you. Your temperature, humidity, starter, flour and water are all different from everyone else's, so just relax and go with the flow. Make the same recipe over and over until you get it just like you want it. Then try different flours. I use mostly high-gluten flour because that's what I like. You might like All Purpose, Bread flour, or Whole Wheat or Rye better. But each of these will require changes in water and/or handling, so be prepared.

If you've hung around this long, thanks, and I hope my words help you.

You're quite welcome, LindyD, but not ALWAYS. Shall I send you the photos of the bad ones offline? I've certainly had my share.

My baking stone was just more trouble than it was worth to me. It took so very long to heat up and I saw no difference in my bread when I baked it on a heavy pizza pan vs. the stone. Besides, it was in three pieces before it hit the trash can. And those broken, sharp edges gave me the willies!

I usually make only one boule at a time (there are just the two of us), but if I bake two loaves, they're baked one after the other. After all, I haven't preheated nearly as long, and the oven's already hot, so I don't think I've wasted too much electricity.

I've often thought that a thread titled "Bungled Bread" or something similar would be appropriate here. The photos of crust and crumb are usually so picture perfect that they can be intimidating. I know that they sure intimidated me when I first joined.

I won't ask how that stone wound up in three pieces, but it does sound like the trash can was the right place for it.

I'm more concerned about over proofing the second boule while the first one baked, but I do like the idea of baking just one at a time since I generally freeze the second loaf if the kids aren't around.

Thanks Susan! Those were wonderful. Loved Sub's Quasimodo! I've read somewhere that holes shouldn't be larger than what a mouse could hide in. I've baked some loaves with holes big enough for sewer rats.

I've got my sourdough revving up - will feed it just before I go to bed tonight then will try one of your boules tomorrow.

It's preheated along with the oven for maybe 20 minutes at 500F before I put the loaf on it, but you know that ovens are different. No secrets here, it just works. I score the loaf, spray it a couple of times with water, slide the parchment (with loaf) onto the pan and cover it with a bowl. When the temperature recovers, I turn it down to 460F. At the 20-minute mark, I remove the bowl and parchment and bake another 8-10 minutes.

Here's something I find myself doing that I never really thought much about, but about 5 minutes before the bread's all brown, I open the oven door a little and let the accumulated steam pour out of the oven. I may leave the bread in the turned-off oven for 5 or 10 minutes if I think it needs the extra time. I like my bread most definitely brown; it tastes better.

Sylvia, would you be so kind as to tell me what I should do besides poke the berries in with chopsticks to keep them from breaking out all my teeth? The ones inside the crumb are nicely chewy. The ones on the crust are now treats for my Yorkie. He loves 'em. But he loves anything I give him.

I didn't say I have made it!! I just love sprouted wheat berries in breads...one I purchased!! ; ) .. Guess what, a couple of days before you posted this lovely bread I had in mind I would love some bread with sprouted wheat berries in it...we must be on the samebrain wave and I was in Henry's 'you know that great new store...where I found more flour on sale! Well I scooped a very small bag of wheat berries up thinking I would soak them and add them in a whole grains bread! Well since I saw your bread and have read what all is being said about the hard berries...I was discouraged and the bag is still sitting there!! Now we still have a problem to figure out ; ) how to make these suckers soft on the crust!

Well, I baked two boules tonight (JH sourdough). The first one I covered with a stainless steel bowl for 20 minutes at 460F. The second wasn't covered.

Same cooking time for both boules (40 minutes). The covered bread has a slightly softer crust and is more golden in color than the uncovered, which is more mahogany in color. I misted the first - forgot to mist the second, which was baked with steam.

They're still cooling, so I've no idea what the crumb looks like.

It sure is much easier to retard two boules than two batards. The batards have to go on a cookie sheet while each boule sits prettily on its own plate, taking up much less space.

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